Maka Gallinger: A Performer with a Purpose
By Tiffany DeMasters
For singer-songwriter Maka Gallinger, it’s not about the number of shows she books, but the message she spreads through her music.
Born and raised in South Kona, Maka has been surrounded by music her entire life. She always had an inherent love for the art form, and it became a true passion when she started sharing her own work, as it allowed her to show her heart and beliefs.
Now 31, Maka recounted her musical journey outside the family business at Ma’s Kava Stop in Kainaliu. She recalled starting off shy, jamming every Friday night at a kava bar in Kona when she was a teenager. For the past decade, Maka has performed all around the island as well as exploring song production. Her journey eventually brought her to a more focused vision for her musical career. Now, she’s a performer with a purpose, to share the message of God’s love for any who have the ears to listen.
It Starts with ‘Ohana
Maka explains that her love for music is deeply rooted in her family, as she was surrounded by singing and the playing of instruments throughout her youth. Her mother, Clara, taught all the siblings to play the ‘ukulele, which Maka eventually picked up in seventh grade. One of the first songs she wrote was for her mom. Maka says a lot of her memories are of her and her mother singing old gospel hymns and Hawaiian songs.
Maka’s husband David recalls whenever the family got together, it always involved food and music. “If there’s an ‘ukulele on the table someone is picking it up,” David says with a smile.
Clara opened Ma’s Kava Stop in Kanaliu about 10 years ago. Maka says her mom saw the establishment as a gathering place for the community, a lighthouse. It’s been three years since Clara’s passing, and Maka and her family continue to keep the business running with the same vision. “She definitely embodied the spirit aloha and we’re blessed to be able to carry that on,” Maka says of her mother.
Maka also started poetry nights at the Kava Stop last year as a way for the community to come out and express themselves artistically. David also loves to write songs and poetry. David says Maka started the poetry nights for him as a way to additionally encourage him with his writing.
Raising their four children in South Kona off-grid, Maka and David say music, the arts, and faith are huge parts of who they are as a family. Homeschooling their young children allows them all to be creative and break out of the normal schedule of life.
Maka says she and her husband were determined to break out of the 9-to-5 routine, and they feel blessed they’ve ben able to make that happen. “We do everything together,” Maka says. “Art and music is a huge part of who we are.”
Maka is also loved and respected among musicians in the arts community. Singer-songwriter Kristin Lagasse met Maka when she first moved to Hawai‘i Island eight years ago. She says Maka was one of the first local musicians she saw perform when she got here. At one point, she tried out to be a backup singer for Maka’s band. While the gig wasn’t really what she was looking for, Kristin says, she’s remained friends with Maka over the years. “In a place that’s so small,” Kristin says, “it’s good to have a thriving arts community, just to keep the arts richer.”
Because their styles are different, Kristin says they’ve never discussed collaborating; however, they share a spot during the Kokua Kailua Downtown Village Stroll every third Sunday on Ali‘i Drive in Kona. Kristin continues, “Maka is a loving and passionate person as well as a great mother. It’s apparent that Maka is into making West Hawai‘i a thriving arts community,” she adds.
A Musical Journey
After high school, Maka moved to Washington State to travel and experience life off the island. During that time she didn’t do much music. It wasn’t until she moved back to Hawai‘i Island several years later that she started focusing on her music career. Soon after she came home, Maka and David got married and started a family. She released her first solo album, It’s a Beautiful Life, when she was 22.
Maka was 21 years old when she pulled together a four-piece band, known as the Maka Band, remembering the group performed at a lot of private events, and all over Kona at restaurants like Kona Brewing Co. and Huggo’s on the Rocks. They also opened for bigger artists at different events. “I played with an awesome group of guys.” However, something kept drawing her back to her roots, her core. While they played all original music, Maka felt she was getting away from her calling—just her and her ‘ukulele. Maka quit the band two years ago, which she says was one of the hardest things she’s done in her life. She continues to perform regularly at the Island Breeze Lū‘au in the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel.
David says, “My wife is a people person. She can play for a huge audience or a small one.” When trying to describe her genre of music, he says, “I don’t know that it’s genre specific. It’s Hawaiian contemporary, covering a lot of folky, bluesy, and tones of reggae.”
For the past couple of years, Maka and David have attended the Hawai‘i Island Songwriting Festival. David says, “It opened our eyes to a lot of things in the music industry, like doing our own production.” The couple also participated in Creative Lab Hawai‘i Music Immersive where they were partnered up with producers and songwriters in the industry to write music for film or television. During the Creative Lab course, they spent a week with different groups, writing a song they would go on to fully produce, which the professionals would then pitch for television. As interesting and exciting as the experience was, Maka says, “I continued to feel a lack of peace or fulfillment in my music.” When they began attending the songwriting festival and creative labs, David says, “We thought we could make it a part-time income.” Ultimately, Maka decided she didn’t want to take her career down that path. Sync-licensing is really the only way to make money in music nowadays, but, Maka reflects, “It’s so formulated.” At first, David admits he was apprehensive; however, the decision ultimately was right for Maka and the family. “She’s uncompromising in her faith. So that’s an admirable trait,” David says.
To Thine Own Self Be True
“Like anything in life”, Maka says, “there are times I felt pressure to do things a certain way. I ultimately realized through all my experiences, that I could do my music my own way.”
As she was trying to figure out what the right path was for her music, Maka remembers asking herself, “What is my God-given purpose?” The more she thought about that, the more she realized her purpose was sharing faith-based music that offers a message of hope. For Maka, it’s not about the money—it’s about the message. “Coming to the realization of that—it’s just been so freeing, getting back to the heart of who I am. I’ve never been at more peace in my life,” she says.
Maka produced her first music video, “Christ’s Return,” a year ago. She is proud of the final product and believes as she continues to learn more about recording and music videos, they will get better and better.
Maka has also continued to write and record music. She’s been funneling all of her songs to her website to provide her music for free. It’s important to Maka that her work is easily accessible because it’s about sharing a message of hope.
Maka also changed her outlook on live performances. She understandably got tired of playing at bars because people there are not normally focused on the music. While she continues to perform the occasional gig, sheʻs recently turned to share her musical message in house concerts, where her heart can connect with the community at a grassroots level. Maka describes house concerts as an intimate concert for live music lovers. It’s an opportunity for close friends and family to gather and listen to music. “There’s always food involved,” she adds with a laugh.
Maka says the focus at a house concert is to showcase original music and the meaning behind the songs. She has just started these events, and believes it will continue to grow, as it is a wonderful way to create lifelong fans and friends. “I’m providing music at a grassroots level,” Maka says, “going direct to the audience.” ❖
For more information: makagallinger.com
Photos courtesy of Maka Gallinger
